ophthalmoscope

noun

oph·​thal·​mo·​scope äf-ˈthal-mə-ˌskōp 

äp-

: an instrument for use in viewing the interior of the eye and especially the retina

ophthalmoscopic

(ˌ)äf-ˌthal-mə-ˈskä-pik 

(ˌ)äp-

adjective

ophthalmoscopy

ˌäf-thəl-ˈmä-skə-pē 

ˌäp-

-ˌthal-

noun

Examples of ophthalmoscope in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This system combines two advanced technologies: the confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope (CSLO) and the Fourier-transform spectrometer (FTS). —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024

And the school gave him a stethoscope and a ophthalmoscope to thank him for the heart and vision in increasing his donation. —The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 June 2021

Normally, a glaucoma screening requires a doctor’s visit and the use of an ophthalmoscope to view the fundus, the internal lining of the eye and measure the health of a patient’s retina. —Nathan Percy, Orange County Register, 10 Feb. 2017

An ophthalmoscope image of diabetic retinopathy shows damage to the retina caused by diabetes. —Eric Schmidt, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2017

So researchers at the University of Warwick in Coventry in the U.K. spent three years developing an ophthalmoscope that creates a high-quality digital image using fancy technology. —Kristen Philipkoski, WIRED, 5 Mar. 2007

New equipment like x-ray machines, ophthalmoscopes, and cardiographs improved diagnostic and therapeutic options. —Jeanne Kisacky, Smithsonian, 14 June 2017

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, from ophthalmo- ophthalmo- + -scope -scope, after ophthalmoscopie "examination of the eye"

Note: Word probably introduced by the physician A.-C. Maressal de Marsilly in "Notice sur l'ophthalmoscope de MM. Follin et Nachet," Annales d'oculistique, tome 28 (2e semestre 1852), pp. 76-86. Marsilly applied the word to a device developed by Eugène Follin and manufactured by Jean-Alfred Nachet, a modification of the original ophthalmoscope developed by Hermann von helmholtz. Helmholtz first described his invention in a monograph, Beschreibung eines Augen-Spiegels zur Untersuchung der Netzhaut im lebenden Auge (Berlin, 1851), using for the device a word Augenspiegel ("eye-mirror") that had been used earlier in German for eyeglasses. See James G. Ravin, "Sesquicentennial of the Ophthalmoscope," Archives of Ophthalmology, vol. 117, no. 12 (December 1, 1999), pp. 1634-68.

First Known Use

circa 1857, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ophthalmoscope

noun

oph·​thal·​mo·​scope äf-ˈthal-mə-ˌskōp 

äp-

: an optical instrument for viewing the inside of the eye

Medical Definition

ophthalmoscope

noun

oph·​thal·​mo·​scope äf-ˈthal-mə-ˌskōp 

: an instrument for viewing the interior of the eye consisting of a concave mirror with a hole in the center through which the observer examines the eye, a source of light that is reflected into the eye by the mirror, and lenses in the mirror which can be rotated into the opening in the mirror to neutralize the refracting power of the eye being examined and thus make the image of the fundus clear

ophthalmoscopic

-ˌthal-mə-ˈskäp-ik 

adjective

ophthalmoscopically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb